Fix for The Sims Install Problem on Mac OS X

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There is a issue with older copies of The Sims for the Mac OS that cause errors in the install process if you are running Mac OS X, and your hard drive is too large (I first saw this problem on my PowerMac G5). When running the installer, you will get an error message that says you don't have enough hard drive space, when in fact, you probably have many gigabytes free. I wrote to Aspyr about this problem, and got the following response (read past the response for my elegant solution):

The error you are having is caused by the fact that the game installer is not a Mac OS X application. This only occurs with older versions of The Sims, Livin' Large, and House Party. It does not work properly in the Classic environment, as it fails to properly detect the hard drive size. In the past all that was necessary to fix this problem was to boot the machine into OS 9, install the game, then once booted back into OS X, a carbon patch could be installed that would create a Sims/Livin' Large/House Party application that would play correctly in OS X. Since Apple's new machines boot only in OS X, this is not always possible.

If you purchased the game in the last 90 days, we can exchange the game disc for an OS X version at no cost. If not, then the cost is $5. When sending the disc back, please include a note wishing to exchange for the OS X version of the disc, as well as a receipt showing proof of purchase within 90 days, or enclose a check or money order made payable to:

Aspyr Media, Inc.
Attn: Returns
PO Box 5861
Austin, TX 78763

In the meantime you can work around this by installing the Sims, Livin' Large, or House Party on another machine and then move your Sims folder over to this machine via a FireWire hard drive or Ethernet connection. If that is not a viable solution, then just replace the game disks that were developed before OS X was released (Sims, Livin Large, House Party). The other expansions were developed to work with OS X and don't need to be replaced.

Thank you for your e-mail. Have a great day.

Thus, according to Aspyr, you either need a second machine to install the game, or pay for replacement disks. However, I found a solution that works perfectly if you only have a single computer. the steps are as follows:

This tip requires Classic be installed on your Mac. If it is not, please follow these instructions to install it.
Open Disk Utility and create a new blank disk image.
Set the size of this image to 2 GB (this will be more than enough room for the installation).
Make sure it is a read/write image with no encryption (these settings will be apparent when creating the image).
The actual image creation will take a while.
When it is done, mount the image.
Start The Sims installer, and choose the newly mounted image as the destination.
When the install is complete, drag the newly installed folder from the disk image to your hard drive.
Once the folder is copied, you can un-mount the disk image, and delete the 2 GB file.
Start playing the Sims. :)

After I figured out this method, I kindly let Aspyr know that there was a better way then they suggested. However, my method has never appeared on their site, as either they don't want to use it, or they just want to make a few extra bucks on replacement disks. Either way, you now know the secret to installing The Sims on an OS X machine with a large hard drive. Please, spread the word to others with the same problem.

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